Verona-Padua railway, the sustainable high speed that unites the EU with Asia
Joining Verona to Padua with high speed means adding the missing piece to the modernization of the north of the country. That 76.5-kilometer sling will make it possible to unite not only the two cities, but of complete the railway connection between Milan and Venice, serving 75% of the Italian population with fast trains. People and goods, high speed and high capacity, thus the new train will run in the heart of one of the most industrialized and vital areas of the country, also favoring the development of trade. A race that unites Italy to the rest of Europe because the Mediterranean corridor that is indicated by the European Union as one of the priority works for the continent is to be welded.
The first two lots of the work are already at an advanced stage: the first 44.2 km long, from Verona to Vicenza, was definitively approved in 2018. It is under construction by the Iricav Due Consortium, constituted for approximately 83% by Webuild group and for 17% from Hitachi Rails Sts. Its route crosses 13 municipalities, quadrupling the existing line, increasing the quality of the railway offer, its integration with the European network and reducing the environmental impact and accidents associated with road mobility.
The second 6.2-kilometer lot, which includes the Vicenza crossing, provides for the delivery of the final project in the first days of January and the start of work by the summer of 2022.
Overall, the project for the High Speed Verona – Padua railway line is a unique project, financed – for the most part – with funds from the NRP precisely because it is considered a priority for the country, capable of giving a considerable boost in terms of sustainable mobility but also of having a significant impact on work. To date they are about 320 supplier companies involved in the construction of the work, while – once all the construction sites have been opened – the employed workforce, both directly and indirectly, will reach 4,000 people.
Likewise, the environmental impact will be significant. Once inaugurated, the new line will make it possible to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 298 thousand, as well as halving the travel times on the overall route. “This work will bring about a huge change for this territory – explains the engineer Paolo Carmona, general manager of the Iricav Due Consortium – only the crossing of Vicenza will contribute to modifying the urban structure in a sustainable way, improving the connectivity between the North and the South of the urban area. In addition to this, the entire line is built alongside the existing one, whose functionality is not interrupted, a confirmation of the technical complexity of the works and attention to the needs of the territory “.
Vicenza will change its face: in addition to the city station and the passage of the line a stone’s throw from the urban agglomeration, the overall project also includes the establishment of a 12-kilometer-long line to reach the electric bus, which will connect the ends of the city from East to West, reaching the high-speed station. A sustainable approach to the transport of the future, to significantly reduce pollution and traffic. It cannot be otherwise for a fast train known to cross a densely populated area of people, factories, businesses. The line, in its entirety, will touch as many as 22 municipalities, thus quadrupling the offer of the existing route and increasing the scope of the intermodal hub of all transports involving the area of Northern Italy. All this within a continental transport route that will connect Europe with Asia by joining the southern regions with Eastern Europe. A green revolution that brings Italy closer to the rest of Europe.